Out of Body

What people don’t understand is that addiction is a disease. It is a corruption of the mind that could take hold of anyone if they are vulnerable enough to fall into it’s trap. It’s an out of body experience; an uncontrollable obsession that kills the most damaged of all.

Submitted: May 03, 2016

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Submitted: May 03, 2016

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It was like a tsunami of pure alleviation that consumed her
anatomy the moment the needle pierced her skin; entering her veins, and unleashing the poison that coursed through her entire being. She felt numb all over.

Relaxed.

An exhale of oxygen soon passing her chapped lips as Kalila felt
the tenseness within her muscles fade gradually. This was her addiction. Her way of life. It was all she’s begun to understand since that night three years ago.Blood. Gore. Tears of horrendous horror that masked the illusion
of what she had perceived as a perfect life.The drugs made those memories fade to black. It stopped the
flashbacks from consuming her corrupted mind the moment the poison invaded her system.

Delicate digits brushed over the surface of the mattress; feeling
the rough texture of the sheetless bed beneath her touch. The room was rather small in size, containing only that full-sized bed that has become her sanctuary of sorts. A duffle bag was tossed
carelessly against the wooden door that had been slammed shut only minutes before out of pure impatience for her obsession. It was dim within the confinement; only a lamp within the corner
illuminating the minuscule amount of light that allowed her to focus on the task at hand.

This room that has become her home for the past couple months was
kept within a much bigger house. A crack house, of all things. It was two stories high, and has seen better days due to the chipped exterior, messy interior, and smoke-filled air with a strong odor
of cigarettes, marijuana, and other drugs that were a tad bit more extreme. Not to mention the aroma of alcohol that wafted off the alcoholics that entered the house on a daily basis. However,
Kalila distanced herself from the group, and stayed within her room located on the top floor.

As alone as she was, the twenty-three-year-old wasn’t for long.
There was some yelling downstairs, and even some loud music that pounded through the ceiling, and vibrated against her carpeted floor. That wasn’t it, though. Even with the loudness that radiated
through the house, she heard the footsteps approaching her bedroom door. Her eyes were still closed; the heroine taking over her body making it rather difficult for her to keep them open, even as
the door opened to allow the intruder to enter.

“Damn, girl. You should see the drama unfoldin’ downstairs. It’s
like a fuckin’ episode of Jerry Springer with Jolei attackin’ Nathan. All over a lil’ baggie of fuckin’ weed. It’s insane!” The sound of the doorclickingshut echoed off the four walls, before the shuffling of feet
approached the mattress. “You alright, Li?”

Instantly, Kalila recognized that concerned voice; the lids of her
eyes lifting to expose the whiteness of her eyeballs beneath, as she forced her head to straighten itself upon her shoulders. There was a glimpse at the pale woman who stood before her; pastel
green hair noticeable within the dim light, and those markings upon her neck that stood out so exposedly due to the lack of clothing that the prostitute wore. It was no shock, honestly. “Yeah.” It
was the only word that Kalila could force past her parted lips.

“You can barely keep yer’ eyes open,” Serra threw out there; now
moving to sit beside the drugged woman. The dip within the mattress caused Kalila to lose her balance; her body falling limply to the side, and into Serra, whom had caught her before her body
tumbled to the floor. “Jesus, Li. How much didya take?”

There was ahumemitting from Kalila’s throat, and into the older woman’s
shoulder.

“Answer me, Li. How much didya take?” A hand had made contact with
the side of Kalila’s cheek; the sudden tapping bringing her out of her drugged up state for only a limited amount of time.

“Not… a lot.”

What a lie. The contents of her habit was laid carelessly on the
corner of the bed, but that wasn’t all. Before stumbling into her room, she had taken shots downstairs with a few of the others, snorted some coke, and popped a few unknown pills with a glass of
whiskey that had been handed to her by one of the other guys. Not to mention the copious amount of heroin that was now invading her system; adding to the destruction of her interior anatomy. Little
did Kalila know that the abundant amount of opiates, and narcotics were now battling her insides.

“A few....drinks. That’s all.” Her voice was low, and quite
incoherent as the words fell from her lips with aslur.Kalila felt her body losing energy, and her eyesight go black as
her eyes once again fluttered closed from the heaviness of her lids.

“Li, look at me,” Serra’s voice murmured out in slight panic as
her hand once again made contact with Kalila’s cheek. This time the slaps were a bit more forceful; the sting slightly noticeable, but not enough to bring the drugged woman from her state. “Look at
me, dammit. I swear to the fuckin’ Devil below, if you overdosed, I will kick yer’ damned ass.”

Those words made a slight snort come from the somewhat conscious
woman. It was quiet, but audible at the same time.“Over...do-”The rest was a mass of slurred madness that soon faded as her body
fell limp against Serra; whose body was now moving swiftly to grasp onto Kalila’s shoulders, and push her up into a sitting position.

“Fuckin’ hell, woman.” It was a murmur of panic as Serra noticed
the paleness within Kalila’s cheeks; comparable to a line of damned coke, in her opinion. “Li, open yer’ eyes. Fuckin’ open them.” Another few taps to the cheek, before her finger and thumb grasped
rather roughly onto the woman’s chin. There was panic, now. A load of it, no less. Hospitals were a forgotten thing within this neighborhood that reeked of illegal substances, and encased with
prostitution and rape.

The authorities had given up on them, and only came around when
drug raids were going down, or a murder had unfortunately happened. So many crooks settled within the streets of this place, and kept hidden within the shadows, and because of this, this place was
long forgotten by many. No one stepped foot here unless they were aiming to do something illegal. No one had the courage to do so, and because of that; this very realization hit Serra
hard.

Gradually, Kalila’s body grew more difficult to keep up, which
gave Serra no choice but to lay the woman back upon the mattress. Despite her own addiction, seeing others being so consumed within the gravity of these types of unfortunate situations was
difficult. This wasn’t the first overdose she’s witnessed throughout her travels. Yet, Kalila had become a friend. A person whose past had been a horrendous tragedy. It led her to drugs. It led her
to lose herself within the ways of the ghetto world. It was a battle that most didn’t win, and it was depressing, overall, to know that Kalila had not been strong enough to do
so.

There was no choice to make. Serra knew that she had to save
herself from this tragic situation that involved a dying friend. Kalila was slowly slipping from the grips of reality. She was out of body, now. No longer living within the confinement of flesh,
and bone. The woman sold herself to the Devil, and Serra wasn’t about to be reprimanded for it. With a kiss to her fingers, the woman pressed them against Kalila’s sweaty forehead; before standing,
and exiting the room. Now, it was time to leave this place behind. To leave the death of a friend who lost who battle to the addiction that has taken so many across the
nation.

It was sickening, though. To know that Kalila’s death would mean
so little to those that don’t understand the depths of addiction. They see it as monstrous. As something to get past, and let go. They see it as destruction upon oneself, who has made the choice to
continue their lives with an obsession that stole everything from them. What people don’t understand is that addiction is a disease. It is a corruption of the mind that could take hold of
anyone if they are vulnerable enough to fall into it’s trap. It’s an out of body experience; an uncontrollable obsession that kills the most damaged of all.

All written work is copyrighted under the pen name 'Ever A. Darling'. If such action is
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